February, 16Well, the seas have picked up some but we are still having a prettypleasant crossing so far. The winds are only blowing about 8 knots, butthere is a slow steady swell that is rocking us side to side. Nobody issick but several folks are taking sea sickness medicine just in case.Small items, such as cups and notepads, are starting to slide acrosstables. The newest students aboard are starting to appreciate why thingsneeded to be tied down so carefully.

Craig holds Knot Tying 101. Can you tie a half hitch?

Today we worked more on lab set-up and started to finalize our plans forsampling at each site. Of course, everything might change if the weatherdoes not cooperate. Fortunately we have a few hours built into theschedule in case we get weathered out. Tonight a group of scientists whoare headed to Palmer Station are giving a slide show about their research. They SCUBA dive to collect algae and invertebrate animals. They arechemical ecologists studying similarities and differences in how protistsand animals compete for space and food.

We expect to make it to our first stop on Monday morning. We will bepicking up gear from Bellinghausen Station; it will be closing soon forthe winter. We are excited about seeing land again in a day and a half.

1 Comment:

hi guys,Can we also see some photos of the living spaces? I'm curious what the galley is like, how big the sleeping quarters are, and what the showers are like. It's the back scenes to the science that keep you all nourished and rested, so it's am important part of the picture to me. Once you start sampling I know that you'll have no time to entertain us at home, so I thought I'd better request this now! good luck!